Five backcountry snowboarders were killed and one other survived an avalanche on Saturday at Colorado's Loveland Pass, a local sheriff's department said.
Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger told Reuters that the snowboarders apparently triggered the avalanche at the 11,990-foot (3,651-metre) pass.
The avalanche occurred at about 1pm (1900 GMT) just above the Loveland Ski Area, he said. The bodies are being recovered.
US authorities say 5 snowboarders have been killed in a Colorado back country avalanche, according to Reuters.
James Holmes, who is accused of killing and wounding dozens in a shooting at a cinema in Colorado, appeared in court today with unkempt hair and a beard.
Read: Not guilty plea in Batman cinema shooting case
The defendant raise eyebrows when he arrived at his first court hearing with orange-dyed hair, appearing to be dazed and uncomprehending.
A judge in the US has entered an automatic plea of not guilty for James Holmes, the man accused of killing and injuring dozens in the 'Batman cinema shooting' in Colorado last July.
Judge William Sylvester said Holmes, 25, can change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity later, if he chooses. Such a change could be the only way Holmes could avoid life in prison or execution.
Read: 'Batman shooting' defendant may face lie detector test
The man accused of a deadly shooting during a premiere of a Batman film at a cinema in Colorado, USA may be subject to a lie detector test, the judge overseeing the case has ruled.
Defendant James Holmes could also face being medicated for a narcoanalytic interview - drugs to lower the defendant's inhibition - if he pleads not guilty by reason of insanity.
Holmes, who has not yet entered a plea, faces multiple charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the shooting rampage last July.
A remembrance ceremony and private screening has been held at the cinema in Colorado where 12 people were killed, and dozens injured.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was shown at the Century Aurora, but families were divided over the event, with some of them boycotting, what they said was a public relations ploy.
James Holmes, is charged with 166 felony counts, over the shootings which took place six months ago.
Holmes, 25, will not enter a plea until March.
A Colorado judge ordered accused movie theatre gunman James Holmes to stand trial on charges he killed 12 people and wounded dozens more in a shooting rampage at a midnight screening of a Batman movie last summer.
Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester ruled that prosecutors had shown probable cause that Holmes committed the crimes and ordered him bound for trial on all counts.
He said Holmes should continue to be held without bail.
The survivors and families of those killed in a mass shooting at a cinema in Colorado have been hearing harrowing evidence in court of the moment police arrived at the scene.
James Holmes is accused of murdering 12 people and injuring 58 others in just one of a series of massacres that have blighted America.
ITV Daybreak's Lucy Watson reports.
Tom Teves and his wife Caren at the preliminary hearing for James Holmes at the courthouse in Centennial, Colorado.
Their son Alex died in the shootings in July last year protecting his girlfriend from the gunfire.
Prosecutors have outlined their case against James Holmes, charged with shooting a dozen people to death at a screening of a "Batman" film at a cinema in Colorado last July.
According to legal analysts, the evidence appears to be so strong that Holmes may accept a plea agreement before trial.
If this happens, it could mean that the victims and their families, might be spared the trauma of going through a lengthy trial.
